These are the most popular holiday destinations for Brits as travel restrictions ease

Top country was chosen by nearly a third of those polled

Views from Peñíscola in Castellón, Spain (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Spain has topped a list of countries Britons are planning to visit this year, according to a survey by ABTA, the Travel Association.

The poll of 2,000 consumers, taken at the end of 2021, revealed nearly a third (29 per cent) of respondents planned to visit the Med holiday favourite in 2022.

Second most popular was the US, with 18 per cent saying that they had plans to visit the States this year.

Third on the list was France - which has currently banned most British visitors - with 17 per cent saying they’d like to visit.

Italy and Greece rounded off the top five, chosen by 16 and 10 per cent of those polled respectively, while Canada and Turkey also made the top 10 list.

Spain had also topped ABTA’s list for 2021, while the US and France each moved up one spot this year.

Spain is currently open only to fully vaccinated British visitors, with no test required, while the US is open to fully vaccinated travellers who can show a negative result from a PCR or antigen test taken within the 24 hours before travel.

Of the countries on the list, all are open to some or all Britons except Australia - which has banned UK arrivals since the beginning of the pandemic and plans to lift restrictions in April 2022 at the earliest - and France, whose ban came into effect on 18 December.

“January is typically when people start to plan their holidays for the year ahead, so we’d encourage anyone who is thinking of booking a holiday to speak with an ABTA member,” said Graeme Buck, director of communications at ABTA.

“Whether they’re looking to visit one of these popular destinations or somewhere else entirely, our members are experts at finding the best holiday for their customers – and at a competitive price.

“They’ll also be there to look after their customers every step of the way, from doing all the research to keeping them up-to-date with any restrictions or changes they need to be aware of, so they can book and travel with confidence.”

The 10 most popular holiday destinations for 2022:

1. Spain (29.3%)
2. USA (18.1%)
3. France (17.8%)
4. Italy (16.4%)
5. Greece (10.1%)
6. Portugal (8.7%)
7. Germany (8.2%)
8. Australia (5.1%)
9. Canada (4.5%)
10. Turkey (4.0%)